Forming collapsible partitions



Nov. 8, 1949 J. M. FLORA ETAL FORMING COLLAPSIBLE PARTITIONS Filed June 26, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 8, 1949 J. M. FLORA ET AL 2,487,122

FORMING COLLAPSIBLE PARTITIONS Filed June 26, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nub 277055 Jfames [77 1 7055 AZ/5175a fir- John .5

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Patented Nov. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JamesM. Flora and John A. Weber, Akron, Ohio, assignors to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 26, 1946, Serial No. 679,527

1 7 Claims.

This invention relates to the folding and assembling of sheet material and is especially useful in the manufacture of collapsible partitions for inflatable articles such as mattresses, pillows, and boats.

In the manufacture of inflatable articles ofrubberized fabric such as mattresses, pillows, rafts, and boats it is deemed desirable to provide bellows-like partitions which limit the expansion of the article under inflation and fold readily into small space when the article is deflated. Such partitions may be provided by a pair of partition walls arranged back to back and united only at spaced-apart anchorages to the walls of the article and foldable oppositely at an intermediate position therebetween for collapsing of the partition, but difliculties have been experienced in accurately forming the material at the intermediate position after uniting the partition walls at their anchoring positions.

It is an object of the present invention to provide for accurately folding the partitions as they are united at their anchoring positions and thereby to overcome the foregoing and other difllculties. A further object is to provide apparatus for facilitating the operation.

Other objects are to provide accuracy and uniformity of product, to combine the sewing and folding mechanism in a single machine, and to permanently crease the partition at the desired line of fold. I

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of apparatus constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention, parts being broken away.

. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing the forming mandrel and the work. v

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken at line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a similar view taken at line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a similar view taken at line 66 of Fig. '2.

Fig. '7 is a cross sectional view of the folded partition taken at line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of a deflated article having partitions folded by the apparatus of the invention.

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view of the inflated article.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals IO, M designate spaced-apart bed plates connected by a channel member l2 by which a pair of sewing machines I3, I4, one right-handed and the other left-handed, are supported with their work supporting plates at the same elevation as the bed plate. The sewing machines are of the ordinary single needle type and their needle bars l5, l5 are arranged at a distance apart desired. of the stitchins. f

A guide I! is secured to the bed plates in, II and serves to guide the superimposed layers I8, IQ of strip material to the sewing machines.

The guide has upper and lower plates 20, 2| separated by spacer strips 22 at its side margins. The upper plate is of generally U-shape with pairs of opposite projections 23, 24 and 25, 26 at the inner margins of its limbs for overhanging the margins of the strips.

For pulling the strips through the sewing machines, a pair of pinch rolls 30, 3| having horizontal axes are journaled in pedestals 32, 33, are geared to each other as by gears 34, and are adapted to be driven from a convenient source of power (not shown) by a chain 36 and a sprocket 31 fixed to roll 3|. Each of the rolls is knurled to provide a good grip on the material but has a reduced neck at the center of its face, as at 38 for clearing a forming. mandrel 40.

The forming mandrel 40 as seen in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive varies in cross-sectional shape from a fiat horizontal strip of narrow width, as in Fig. 3, to a wider strip, as in Fig. 4, and then to a square cross section standing on edge as at Fig. 6, then is tapered to a vertical chisel edge. The fiat end of the strip is attached to projection 23 of the guide I! and extends between the needle bars l5, Hi. It then curves upwardly and extends horizontally between the reduced necks of rolls 36, 3| which it clears by at least the thickness of the strip material.

For folding the free margins 45, 46, 4'1, 48 of the strip l8, l9 beyond the lines of stitching 50 5|, guides 52, 53 of progressively increasing angular form are mounted on rods 54, 55 adjustably secured to vertical rods 56, 51, attached to plate In as by clamps 58, 59. These guides extend between the free margins of the strips and, in addition to guiding the strips, serve to steady the free end of the mandrel horizontally.

For further flattening the outwardly turned margins, fiat guides 60, 6| are pivotally sup-- ported from the plate III, as at- 62, 63 and are held against the strip material laterally by a tension coil spring 64 connecting them. 1

pivotally attached to plate l0 and rotates about an axis parallel to roll 65. A tension coil spring 1'! holds roll against roll 65. Roll 65 is of hourglass shape whereas roll 15 is crowned to a corresponding angle. These rolls engage the sewed material as it leaves mandrel 40 and press it in the form shown in Fig. 7.

In operating the apparatus, the strips l8, i9

of fabric or other material are threaded through guide I1 the lower strip [9 being passed directly through the guide under the projections 23, 24, 25 and 26. The upper strip is passed under the bar 200. then over projections 23, 24 and mandrel 40. Its margins are passed under projections 25, 26. The sewing machines l3, l4 sew parallel stitching in the material along parallel lines forming a tunnel which surrounds the mandrel. As the material is fed between rolls 3%, 3! it is drawn through the sewing machines as the stitching is formed. There after th tunneled material is drawn along the mandrel and through the guides by the rolls 65, 15 and the assembled material is formed to the desired shape as explained above.

As the two seams are sewed simultaneousl the spacing between the seams is uniform throughout. The mandrel and guides fold the material at the desired lines with respect to the lines of stitching so that uniformity and accuracy are accomplished.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for forming a collapsible partition structure for an inflatable article, said apparatus comprising means for guiding a pair of strips of material in superimposed relation, means for progressively attaching the strips to each other along parallel lines intermediate their margins, and means for progressively forming the attached strips to provide double-walled partition structure having oppositely creased adjacent walls between said parallel lines with pairs of oppositely extending securing margins, said last-named means comprising a stationary mandrel positioned to extend between the strips and having oppositely directed longitudinally disposed creaseforming ridges for engaging the strips intermediate their lines of attachment.

2. Apparatus for formin a partition structure for an inflatable article, said apparatus comprising means for guiding a pair of strips of material in superimposed relation, means for progressively attaching the strips to each other along parallel lines intermediate their margins, and means for progressively forming the attached strips between the lines of attachment to provide a bellows folded double-walled portion having oppositely creased adjacent walls with pairs of oppositely extending securing margins, said lastnamed means comprising a stationary mandrel positioned to extend between the strips and having oppositely directed longitudinally disposed crease-forming ridges for engaging the strips intermediatetheir lines of attachment, and flat- 4 tening pulling rolls for drawing the material along said mandrel and folding it along the creases formed by said mandrel.

3. Apparatus for forming a collapsible partition for an inflatable article, said apparatus comprising a pair of feed rolls for progressively advancin strip material, said rolls having opposed neck portions defining a space therebetween, a forming mandrel anchored adjacent said rolls and extending through said space, said mandrel being of symmetrical cross section, means for guiding superimposed strips of material to said rolls along opposite sides of said mandrel, and means for uniting said strips to each other along parallel lines to enclose said mandrel as the strips approach said feed rolls.

4. Apparatus for forming a collapsible partition for an inflatable article, said apparatus comprising a pair of feed rolls for progressively advancing strip material, said rolls having opposed neck portions defining a space therebetween, a forming mandrel extending through said space, means for guiding superimposed strips of material to v said rolls along opposite sides of said mandrel, means for uniting said strips to each other along parallel lines spaced laterally from the edges of the strips to enclose said mandrel as the strips approach said feed rolls and provide free margins of said strips at the sides of the mandrel, a, sec- 5. Apparatus for forming a partition structure,

for an inflatable article, said apparatus comprising a guide for aligning a pair of strips of flexible material in superimposed relation in a horizontal plane, a forming mandrel having at flat portion anchored to said guide, a pair of sewing mechanisms between which said mandrel extends, said sewing mechanisms being adapted to sew the strips to each other at opposite sides of the mandrel to nclose the mandreLa pair of pulling rolls for engaging said superimposed strips and feeding them through said sewing mechanisms, said rolls having necked portions to clear said mandrel, said mandrel having a squared portion beyond said pulling rolls arranged with opposite corners perpendicular to the plane of feed of said strips to crease the strips between rows of stitching, guides arranged at the sides of said squared portion for separating the margins of said strips progressively, said mandrel having a wedge shaped end beyond said squared portion with its edge vertically arranged guides adjacent said end for flattening the assembled strips in a vertical plane, and a pair of pulling rolls at the end of said mandrel for pullin the assembled formed material through said guides and for flattening the assembled material in a plane perpendicular to the plane of feed of said strips.

v 6. The method of forming a partition structure for an inflatable article which comprises guiding a pair of strips of material in superimposed relastrips to provide a bellows folded doubled portion with pairs of oppositely extending securing margins.

'7. Apparatus for forming a. collapsible partition for an inflatable article, said apparatus comprising a pair of feed rolls for progressively advancallel lines spaced laterally from the margins of m the strips to enclose said mandrel as the strips approach said feed rolls, said mandrel bein of symmetrical cross section relative to a plane ex-' disposed attaching margins, and a second set of feed rolls for drawing said strips along said mandrel and past said folding means.

JAMES M. FLORA. JOHN A. WEBER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 213,973 Burk Apr. 8, 1879 504,571 Eschner Sept. 5, 1893 1,093,540 Corson Apr. 14, 1914 1,799,132 Gardner Mar. 31, 1931 2,052,896 Roseman Sept. 1, 1936 2,055,470 Anderson et a1. Sept. 29, 1936 Sailer Nov. 9, 1943 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,487,122 November 8, 1949 JAMES M. FLORA ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 3, line 51, after the word provide insert a;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 30th day of May, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant oomniuioner of Patents. 

